Elevation

How it would give impacts to us?

This page was archived. I get it, but what is elevation? (Taken from Page8, 26/12/2024)

Elevation refers to the height of a point above sea level. It is often measured in meters or feet and is used to describe the altitude of geographical features such as mountains, hills, and plateaus. As elevation increases, the atmospheric pressure decreases because there is less air above that point to exert pressure. The reason it gets colder at higher elevations is due to the decrease in atmospheric pressure. As air rises, it expands because the pressure is lower. This expansion causes the air to cool because it loses energy. In addition, higher elevations are farther from the warmth of the Earth's surface, which absorbs and radiates heat from the sun. These combined effects result in lower temperatures as you ascend to higher elevations.

So only elevation the important factor?

Another important factor is air pressure. At higher elevations, the atmospheric pressure is lower because the density of air decreases with altitude. This lower pressure means that there is less air to hold heat, contributing to cooler temperatures. This is why some food packaging may expand like a balloon when taken to higher altitudes, the lower external pressure allows the internal air in the packaging to expand.

On the other hand, if the elevation goes negative, meaning below sea level, the atmospheric pressure increases because there is more air above that point exerting pressure. This higher pressure compresses the air, making it denser and warmer. The increased temperature at lower elevations can affect breathing, making it easier to inhale oxygen. However, the higher pressure can also cause food packaging to contract. An example of such a location is the Dead Sea, which is the lowest point on Earth's surface. It was located at approximately 430 meters below sea level, is one of the best-known examples of a location with negative elevation.

The temperature with the elevation can be estimated by using the formula. Although it may not accurate, but this would give how cold or hot it can get. Now to calculate the estimated temperature, E, we can use the formula stated below:

E= T0 -Lh

Symbol	Description
T0	The temperature at sea level (0m). Example: 27°C (average temperature in Malaysia).
L	The lapse rate of temperature. 6.5°C per 1000m, or 0.0065°C per meter. This value is fixed.
h	The current height or elevation above sea level.

For example, I am at the mountain that is 986m in Malaysia. So this is the h. By taking the temperature before I start to go up the mountain as the T0, the temperature was 27C. by using the formula above:

(27) - (986)*(0.0065) = 20.591C

Where the yearly range of this mountain temperature was 19C- 24C. In the dawn, the temperature can reach 16C. So this formula can be used. Also, if you know the temperature, T0, you can also find the estimated height of the elevation buy just a simple algebra. It would be like this:

This is might be shocking and you must keep in mind. The average oxygen level at 0m was 21%. By that said, any oxygen level that is below or above the rate can be lethal. For example, this table display the oxygen percentage and its corresponding safety levels.

Oxygen Percentage	Description	Safety Level
More than 23.5%	Oxygen Toxicity	Dangerous
19.5% - 23.5%	Normal Atmospheric Oxygen	Safe
16% - 19.5%	Mild Hypoxia	Caution
12% - 16%	Moderate Hypoxia	Unsafe
10% - 12%	Severe Hypoxia	Dangerous
Less than 10%	Critical Hypoxia	Life-threathening

Yes, different altitude would impact this. I mean, the higher elevation it, the lower air pressure become and the oxygen percentage would be depleted as well. The oxygen level may not changed at all, maintaining at 21% but oxygen partially pressure (kPa) does. It may not such a big deal but the higher it gets, more severe the effect would be.

Now just take a look here. This is the table that showed a very small range, start from 0m to 10m. This is not noticeably in our daily lives but the difference are exist. It also showing that the oxygen percentage was around 21% which is tell us the reason why we are able to live. Although the Oxygen Percentage remain constant, the thing that changed here is the Partial Pressure of Oxygen that is measured in kPa.

Elevation (m)	Temperature (C)	Oxygen Percentage (%)	Air Pressure (kPa)	Partial Pressure of O2 (kPa)	Is it safe to live?
0	27.00	20.95	101.3	21.2	Yes
1	26.9935	20.95	101.3	21.2	Yes
2	26.987	20.95	101.3	21.2	Yes
3	26.9805	20.95	101.3	21.2	Yes
4	26.974	20.95	101.3	21.2	Yes
5	26.9675	20.95	101.3	21.2	Yes
6	26.961	20.95	101.2	21.1	Yes
7	26.9545	20.95	101.2	21.1	Yes
8	26.948	20.95	101.2	21.1	Yes
9	26.9415	20.95	101.2	21.1	Yes
10	26.935	20.95	101.2	21.1	Yes

Yes: Safe for living with no significant health risks. The conditions at these elevations provide ample oxygen and comfortable temperatures, making it ideal for habitation. There is no much difference. It just like you go from floor 1 to floor 2. Even the oxygen level was not changed at all.

Maybe you want to go to the higher point like a skyscraper or tower? Now the table below showed the elevation, temperature, and so on starting from 0m to 100m.

Elevation (m)	Temperature (C)	Oxygen Percentage (%)	Air Pressure (kPa)	Partial Pressure of O2 (kPa)	Is it safe to live?
0	27.00	20.95	101.3	21.2	Yes
10	26.935	20.95	101.2	21.1	Yes
20	26.87	20.95	101.1	21.1	Yes
30	26.805	20.95	100.9	21.0	Yes
40	26.74	20.95	100.8	20.9	Yes
50	26.675	20.95	100.7	20.9	Yes
60	26.61	20.95	100.6	20.9	Yes
70	26.545	20.95	100.5	20.9	Yes
80	26.48	20.95	100.4	20.9	Yes
90	26.415	20.95	100.3	20.9	Yes
100	26.35	20.95	100.1	20.8	Yes

Yes: Safe for living with no significant health risks. The conditions at these elevations provide ample oxygen and comfortable temperatures, making it ideal for habitation. At this point, you may see both air pressure and oxygen partial pressure (kPa) start to decreasing. The temperature also start to decline as well but the difference was not even can be feel by humans.

Ok that just not so high. How about we start to go something higher than that, like a hill or mountain for an example? Just look at this table where the livable being are still able to live at this heights. The table below showed the elevation starting from 0m to 1000m.

Elevation (m)	Temperature (C)	Oxygen Percentage (%)	Air Pressure (kPa)	Partial Pressure of O2 (kPa)	Is it safe to live?
0	27.00	20.95	101.3	21.2	Yes
100	26.35	20.95	100.1	20.8	Yes
200	25.70	20.95	98.9	20.7	Yes
300	25.05	20.95	97.8	20.5	Yes
400	24.40	20.95	96.6	20.3	Yes
500	23.75	20.95	95.5	20.1	Yes
600	23.10	20.95	94.3	19.8	Yes
700	22.45	20.95	93.2	19.6	Yes
800	21.80	20.95	92.0	19.3	Yes
900	21.15	20.95	90.9	19.1	Yes
1000	20.50	20.95	89.8	18.8	Yes

Yes: Safe for living with no significant health risks. The conditions at these elevations provide ample oxygen and comfortable temperatures, making it ideal for habitation. Start from here, you can start to feel the temperature was little bit colder. Even both air pressure and partial pressure of oxygen start to drop drastically. Although the oxygen level remain the same, but some effect due to low pressure can happened. For instance, a food packaging may start to bloat like a balloon. This is usually a highlands that reach this height.

Some mountains, valley, range and highlands are higher than 1000m. This is where the effect are start to become severe and can also be fatal. Some people may not able to get used with higher altitude, which is because the table showed below. Not only the temperature start to go beyond negative, also the oxygen pressure start to become very low that make it almost impossible for human to live there.

Elevation (m)	Temperature (C)	Oxygen Percentage (%)	Air Pressure (kPa)	Partial Pressure of O2 (kPa)	Is it safe to live?
0	27.00	20.95	101.3	21.2	Yes
1000	20.50	20.95	89.9	18.8	Yes
2000	14.00	20.95	79.5	16.6	Partially
3000	7.50	20.95	70.1	14.7	Partially
4000	1.00	20.95	61.7	12.9	Risky
5000	-5.50	20.95	54.3	11.4	Risky
6000	-12.00	20.95	47.9	10.0	Very Risky
7000	-18.50	20.95	42.5	8.9	Very Risky
8000	-25.00	20.95	37.1	7.8	No
9000	-31.50	20.95	32.7	6.8	No
10000	-38.00	20.95	29.3	6.1	No

Yes: Safe for living with no significant health risks. The conditions at these elevations provide ample oxygen and comfortable temperatures, making it ideal for habitation.

Partially: Generally safe, but some individuals might need acclimatization due to reduced oxygen levels. People might experience mild symptoms of altitude sickness, such as headaches or shortness of breath, but these symptoms are usually manageable.

Risky: Higher risk of altitude sickness; short stays recommended with acclimatization. At these elevations, the decreased partial pressure of oxygen can cause more pronounced symptoms of altitude sickness, and prolonged exposure without proper acclimatization can be harmful.

Very Risky: Severe altitude sickness likely; prolonged stays dangerous. These elevations have significantly lower oxygen availability, which can lead to severe altitude sickness and other health issues. It is recommended to limit the time spent at these elevations and ensure proper acclimatization.

No: Dangerous and life-threatening for living due to extreme conditions and very low oxygen availability. The conditions at these high elevations are not suitable for long-term habitation, and the risk of severe health issues, including hypoxia, is very high. It is not recommended to live at these altitudes.

Acclimatization: The process by which the body adjusts to changes in its environment, such as alterations in altitude, temperature, or humidity. It involves physiological adaptations that help maintain homeostasis and optimize performance in new conditions. For example, when ascending to higher altitudes, the body produces more red blood cells to enhance oxygen delivery to tissues, increases breathing rate, and adjusts the acid-base balance in the blood. These adjustments help individuals tolerate and function better in environments different from what they are normally accustomed to. By that being said, acclimatization are playing important role here.

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